FAQ: What are my chances?

[Microbiodude]

I'm going into 3rd year...

 

I have a 3.89 and my mcat is: 8VR/10PS/14/BS and N (32N)

 

What schools should I apply to? I feel my mcat is low (need to redo it next summer)...

 

I will apply for UOttawa for sure, but which other ones...my VR is terrible and that sucks for mcmaster

 

thanks guys

 

If you can bump up your WS as well, you can go for Western and Queen's.

[incognito7]

Applying in 4th year

OMSAS GPA: 3.8 (no weighting formulas)

MCAT: 14 PS 10 VR 10 BS Q WS - 34Q

Letters of reference: 1 - High school Teacher/Guidance counsellor/coach, 2 - Head of regional anesthesia and pain management at Toronto Western Hospital & 3 - Director of regional anesthesia and pain management at Toronto Western Hospital.

 

Plenty of scholarships/awards, lots of extracurriculars and executive positions, been working in Dept. of Anesthesia since summer of Grade 11, I have projects that are mostly clinical research based, currently coordinating a clinical RCT (and they are giving me 6th authorship), lots of athletics at the intramural level, lots of other random stuff, etc.

 

 

I am applying to UofT, Queens, Mac, and Western.

 

NOTE: I DO NOT have ENGLISH, or a second year organic chemistry course (and so I'm not applying to Ottawa).

 

 

What I'm worried about is my 10 in bio which would not have made Western's cutoff last year, as well as my writing sample which I am under the impression is rather borderline for both Western and Queens.

 

 

I have 2 questions for you guys:

 

1 - Should I rewrite my MCAT this summer?

 

I am not very strong on verbal and during practice tests, my ceiling was an 11, I am doubtful that I can pull off a 10 again.

 

2 - What other schools in Canada should I/can I apply to?

 

Thanks for any responses ahead of time, your input is greatly appreciated!

[xi88]

I have 2 questions for you guys:

 

1 - Should I rewrite my MCAT this summer?

 

I am not very strong on verbal and during practice tests, my ceiling was an 11, I am doubtful that I can pull off a 10 again.

 

2 - What other schools in Canada should I/can I apply to?

 

Thanks for any responses ahead of time, your input is greatly appreciated!

 

1. No. Your mark is high enough.

 

2. You meet min requirements to almost all the schools. Apply to however many you want depending on how much you want to spend in app fees. I'm assuming your from Ontario? If so, dont limit yourself to Ontario schools.

 

By the looks of your stats, you dont need too much advice. You look like a standard cookie cutter pre-med. You have a decent shot at admission, but be wared that there are loads of others just like you applying too.

[xi88]

I'm going into 3rd year...

 

I have a 3.89 and my mcat is: 8VR/10PS/14/BS and N (32N)

 

What schools should I apply to? I feel my mcat is low (need to redo it next summer)...

 

I will apply for UOttawa for sure, but which other ones...my VR is terrible and that sucks for mcmaster

 

thanks guys

 

Your stats are good for Dal. However, Dal rarely accepts students out of 3 year degrees. Dal doesnt look at your N, and you meet all the MCAT requirements for both IP and OOP applicants.

[incognito7]

1. No. Your mark is high enough.

 

2. You meet min requirements to almost all the schools. Apply to however many you want depending on how much you want to spend in app fees. I'm assuming your from Ontario? If so, dont limit yourself to Ontario schools.

 

By the looks of your stats, you dont need too much advice. You look like a standard cookie cutter pre-med. You have a decent shot at admission, but be wared that there are loads of others just like you applying too.

 

 

Thanks for your reply,

 

 

I am from Ontario, however, I don't have english or a second year orgo with lab, and so from what I recall, I can't apply to Dal or UBC, I don't know much about the other med schools though out west.

[xi88]

Thanks for your reply,

 

 

I am from Ontario, however, I don't have english or a second year orgo with lab, and so from what I recall, I can't apply to Dal or UBC, I don't know much about the other med schools though out west.

 

I dont know about UBC, but Dal has no course requirements at all. Dal looks at GPA from most recent 2 years, MCAT (minus written), essay, ECs, and interview.

[saabster27]

edit - taking info down.

[PCB]

You seem like you should be getting at least a couple interviews. I would suggest you work on your autobiographical sketch, and how you present your ECs on the application. Look at you app from last year and think of any possible way you can improve on it. Get advice from other people as well.

[saabster27]

You seem like you should be getting at least a couple interviews. I would suggest you work on your autobiographical sketch, and how you present your ECs on the application. Look at you app from last year and think of any possible way you can improve on it. Get advice from other people as well.

 

 

Thanks PCB - I'm definitely going to put a lot of emphasis on my ec's and sketch. On a sidenote, I was told that a WS of P was comparatively low, and would not be good enough for Western and Queens?

 

Does anyone know where a P would meet the minimums with the exceptions being the non-mcat schools?

[bkool4ya4]

I am going into my 4th year in University of Toronto.

 

GPA: 3.78

cGPA: ~ 3.70 - 3.72 i think

MCAT: writing it this September..

ECs: nothing fancy... hospital volunteering, scholarships/awards, sports, summer research, other volunteering...

 

I prefer to go to Canadian Med Schools..

But the thing is I don't HAVE PHYSICS & ENGLISH.. so I don't think I can apply to many of out-of-province schools.. if I don't get in this year, I'll probably do another year to take physics and english...

 

I want to know which schools I should apply to and roughly what scores in MCAT I need for each schools.. I was hoping Queen's but just saw they're class size is so tiny... 100...

 

Thanks for the help !

[xi88]

I am going into my 4th year in University of Toronto.

 

GPA: 3.78

cGPA: ~ 3.70 - 3.72 i think

MCAT: writing it this September..

ECs: nothing fancy... hospital volunteering, scholarships/awards, sports, summer research, other volunteering...

 

I prefer to go to Canadian Med Schools..

But the thing is I don't HAVE PHYSICS & ENGLISH.. so I don't think I can apply to many of out-of-province schools.. if I don't get in this year, I'll probably do another year to take physics and english...

 

I want to know which schools I should apply to and roughly what scores in MCAT I need for each schools.. I was hoping Queen's but just saw they're class size is so tiny... 100...

 

Thanks for the help !

 

Usually, making one post is enough to generate responses. You dont need to make identical posts in different threads.

[Prothrombin]

1.5 cGPA

1.6 GPA in my last year

9 PS

5 VR

3 BS

C WS

21B

 

No volunteering experience, extensive criminal record

Reference letters from my mom and my 9 year old brother

[janny_jan]

imho, you'll probably get to by-pass med school completely

[musheer]

Hi everybody

Going through the above chart, My questions are very much solved now. Thanks

[alex2009]

Thanks for sharing infor here:)

 

 

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[Victory Rose]

hey everyone, long time lurker, first time poster!

 

 

I'm going into my 4th year of a biology degree with an overall OMSAS GPA of 3.84 and an MCAT score of 31Q. I have very little research and minimal volunteer experience, and from what I hear, it's impossible to get in without a heap of ECs...

 

 

did I hear correctly? I'd really like to go to school somewhere in Ontario (that's where I'm from )

[future_doc]

hey everyone, long time lurker, first time poster!

 

 

I'm going into my 4th year of a biology degree with an overall OMSAS GPA of 3.84 and an MCAT score of 31Q. I have very little research and minimal volunteer experience, and from what I hear, it's impossible to get in without a heap of ECs...

 

 

did I hear correctly? I'd really like to go to school somewhere in Ontario (that's where I'm from )

 

 

You have almost all the ingredients. If you repost or PM rmorelan when he returns, he gives excellent advice. I believe you need to work on volunteering and ECs b/c med schools want active, well rounded citizens as students and presumably as physicians. Therefore, you will, of ocurse, apply this cycle and as this is a lottery really, anything can happen. However, to prepare for should you need to reapply agian next year, you need to become more well rounded. I will PM you now.

[Victory Rose]

thank you so much future_doc!

 

How come you don't have an appreciation thread for all the kind advice you offer?

[cnb88]

So I just got my MCAT scores, and I did good and bad at the same time. 29Q overall, but 11VR, 8PS, and 10BS. What I'm wondering is if my Physical Sciences score will hurt my chances to get in.

My GPA is a consistent 3.4 for my 3 years of university (every year it's the exact same). I'm a competitive figure skater (I spend a minimum of 3 hours a day/at least 5 days a week/10 months of the year training). Plus I volunteer as a coach for the CanSkaters (kids 3-12 learning to skate). I also volunteer as the club's dance partner for the kids starting out their beginner dances. I don't have any lab experience (doesn't interest me at all, and why am I wasting a prof's time/money working in their lab if I'm not going to go that route at all).

I'm an Albertan applying to UofA (under rural applicant status b/c I lived in a small town for 15 years of my life), UofC, UofO, Queens, UBC, McMaster (because they only look at my verbal score, which was really good), and maybe UofM. Haven't really decided on that one yet.

So, "What are my chances" of getting in anywhere?

(Thanks in advance for any help you're willing to give me!!!)

[skp1187]

Hey guys,

 

I would greatly appreciate any advice into my chances for getting an interview or even getting accepted with these stats:

 

Alberta Resident

cGPA: 3.68 (for U of A it would be 3.78)

best 2 years: 3.85

MCAT: 31Q (11PS/8VR/12BS)

 

EC's include: volunteered at hospital for 5 years on the burn unit (only accumulated 250 hours though), volunteered overseas in Thailand building homes for tsunami victims, volunteer at drop in centre, worked as a porter and a OR nursing attendant, just started (40 hours) volunteering at a brain injury rehabilitation centre.

 

I did 2 months of research last summer (didn't get anything published). I will be pursuing a masters in neuroscience this fall and will be working hard on getting some papers published (unfortunately probably wont have anything published by the application date )

 

Any comments, suggestions, or advice would be awesome!

 

thanks

[RoyalFlush]

low-end marks, decent mcat, really quality ec/volunteering... no chance at queens, no chance at western, weak chance at mac (due to recently implemented VR consideration), no chance at ottawa... you're only shot in ontario is u of t... it's a shot in the dark... marks may not cut it, but sounds like you have some good experience... write a killer essay and get strong LoR's

[skp1187]

low-end marks, decent mcat, really quality ec/volunteering... no chance at queens, no chance at western, weak chance at mac (due to recently implemented VR consideration), no chance at ottawa... you're only shot in ontario is u of t... it's a shot in the dark... marks may not cut it, but sounds like you have some good experience... write a killer essay and get strong LoR's

 

Hey yah i don't think I have a chance at any eastern schools. My main goal is calgary and edmonton since I am a resident of Alberta.

[51stCenturyFox]

Hi, I'm very new to all of this. I've only started considering medical school this summer. Originally, my plans were to attend grad school. However, I wrote the MCAT very recently, and I was wondering if you guys (with better knowledge!) could give me a fair assessment:

 

Status: Ontario Resident, Canadian Citizen

School: McGill University

Program: Bachelor of Science, Interdepartmental Honours in Immunology

Current Year: 3rd in a 4 years program

cGPA: 3.97/4.00 (McGill grading) for the past 2 years

MCAT: 36 R (10 VR, 12 PS, 14 BS)

Extracurriculars: Not much worth mentioning. I participate in several activities, but none of them are things that would stand out on a CV (i.e. intramural soccer, trivia club). I volunteer at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, I am an editor for the McGill Science Undergraduate Research Journal, and I spent a summer volunteering in a microbiology professor's research lab. I have published a poster (not sure how significant this is), and presented it at an Undergraduate Research Conference. Unfortunately, I don't really have any leadership roles in clubs or student societies.

 

I'm very happy with my academic record, but it's the extracurriculars that I'm worried about. I know a lot of people who have done a lot of amazing things (i.e. my roomate worked with WHO in Nigeria) or have taken significant leadership roles. It's all a bit daunting. Also, my MCAT score is somewhat unbalanced, but I'd rather not retake it just to make my verbal score on par with the others.

 

I'm not sure which schools I prefer. In an ideal world, I'd like to attend McGill, but hell will freeze over before that happens seeing as I'm not a Quebec resident. Right now, I really like the idea of University of Toronto, but I'm not sure what their requirements are for extracurriculars. Futhermore, do they take 3rd year students, or should I get my degree first?

 

Any suggestions? Thanks.

[ontariostudent]

Hi, I'm very new to all of this. I've only started considering medical school this summer. Originally, my plans were to attend grad school. However, I wrote the MCAT very recently, and I was wondering if you guys (with better knowledge!) could give me a fair assessment:

 

Status: Ontario Resident, Canadian Citizen

School: McGill University

Program: Bachelor of Science, Interdepartmental Honours in Immunology

Current Year: 3rd in a 4 years program

cGPA: 3.97/4.00 (McGill grading) for the past 2 years

MCAT: 36 R (10 VR, 12 PS, 14 BS)

Extracurriculars: Not much worth mentioning. I participate in several activities, but none of them are things that would stand out on a CV (i.e. intramural soccer, trivia club). I volunteer at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, I am an editor for the McGill Science Undergraduate Research Journal, and I spent a summer volunteering in a microbiology professor's research lab. I have published a poster (not sure how significant this is), and presented it at an Undergraduate Research Conference. Unfortunately, I don't really have any leadership roles in clubs or student societies.

 

I'm very happy with my academic record, but it's the extracurriculars that I'm worried about. I know a lot of people who have done a lot of amazing things (i.e. my roomate worked with WHO in Nigeria) or have taken significant leadership roles. It's all a bit daunting. Also, my MCAT score is somewhat unbalanced, but I'd rather not retake it just to make my verbal score on par with the others.

 

I'm not sure which schools I prefer. In an ideal world, I'd like to attend McGill, but hell will freeze over before that happens seeing as I'm not a Quebec resident. Right now, I really like the idea of University of Toronto, but I'm not sure what their requirements are for extracurriculars. Futhermore, do they take 3rd year students, or should I get my degree first?

 

Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

With your stats, you have a good chance at McGill. Just get in as many ECs as possible before the apps/interviews. You should have a chance at any of the schools in Canada, as long as you work on the ECs and work on presenting them well. Play up your strengths and make as big a deal as possible of whatever you've done. Worse comes to worse you will have to reapply. If money is an object, you might want to hold out.

[bonydoc]

51st CenturyFox,

 

You have a great chance at McGill. They do value people who have volunteer experience at the hospitals they are affiliated at (take it from me, recent graduate of McGill med).

 

Don't worry about all the ballyhoo about people going to Nigeria, etc. Its about what you LEARN from volunteering, not from where you went. Talk about your respect for nurses (who have an absurd patient load in Quebec), orderlies, as well as docs. You also get some exposure to the medical system in Quebec and Canada, as well as the training system McGill uses with its medical students.

 

See you round the wards.